A New Mexico man who beat his friend to death while drunk told police that he had been “binge-watching” The Walking Dead and believed his friend had begun turning into a zombie.
Police responded Thursday afternoon to a Grants, New Mexico apartment complex where 23-year-old Damon Perry was reportedly brandishing a knife, reports the Associated Press. Inside one of the apartments, police found the body of Christopher Paquin, also 23, while maintenance workers detained Perry.
Perry told officers that he had been drinking and watching consecutive episodes of the AMC television series The Walking Dead on Netflix when he suspected his friend had begun to “change into a zombie” and attempted to bite him.
Perry allegedly beat Paquin with his bare hands and feet, an electric guitar and a microwave oven.
“It was one of the absolute worst [crime scenes] I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been with the department for 15 years,” Grants, New Mexico police spokesman Moses Marquez told the Daily Beast.
Marquez also told the Daily Beast that Perry “attributed [the beating] to being highly intoxicated,” but had come to his senses when he eventually sobered up.
“He seems remorseful,” Marquez told the outlet. “He’s had the time to sober up and realize what has happened, and he has expressed remorse.”
Perry was arrested and is currently in custody on a murder charge. His bail has reportedly been set at $800,000.